1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates generally to engines and more specifically to the intake manifold of a vehicle engine.
2. Description of the Related Art
The intake manifold of a vehicle internal combustion engine is used to supply a mixture of fuel and air evenly to the engine cylinder heads. One of various methods of improving the engine power and performance is to improve air flow. During combustion, as a piston moves down, air resistance can cause loss of power. Poor engine performance can occur due to choking of air, high exhaust gas temperatures, or poor air flow. The prior art includes intake manifolds with pillars in the interior of the hollow manifold through which bolts can pass, for securing the manifold to the cylinders, which may lead to some obstruction of air. The prior art also includes intake manifolds with exhaust gas recirculation components for recirculation of some of the engine exhaust gas back to the cylinders. The placement of these components may be at least partially inside of the intake manifold, which also cause some obstruction of air on the interior of the manifold. These designs of such intake manifolds create more air resistance and thus, poor engine performance. Therefore, there is a need for an intake manifold with improved air flow, for better performance and efficiency of the vehicle's engine.
The aspects or the problems and the associated solutions presented in this section could be or could have been pursued; they are not necessarily approaches that have been previously conceived or pursued. Therefore, unless otherwise indicated, it should not be assumed that any of the approaches presented in this section qualify as prior art merely by virtue of their presence in this section of the application.